Abigail
Iris: The One and Only
Co-authored with Suzanne Greenberg
160 pp., hardback
ISBN 0-8027-9782-2
"Third grader Abigail Iris is a happy-go-lucky
girl. She has a nearly giddy relationship with her loving parents
and an almost perfect one with her three siblings, two of whom are
half brothers. She feels the pinch, however, of a budgeted household
and the inconvenience of sharing her bedroom. She is ecstatic when
she can go on vacation with her friend Genevieve, an only child. Instead
of camping, they stay in a fancy hotel in San Francisco. Though the
perks are great—room service!—Genevieve’s dad is
always on his cell phone, her mom verges on cranky and Genevieve starts
to appear a bit spoiled. Gaining a new perspective, Abigail begins
to miss her family. When the vacation is called to an abrupt halt
Abigail is happy enough to adopt the authors’ message: Being
one of many is just fine, and more wealth is sometimes worse than
less. With Allen’s periodic homespun sketches and a breezy first-person
text, this sweet slip of a story is recommended for those girls feeling
the squeeze of a crowded and blended family." —Kirkus
Reviews
"In the spirit of Amber Brown and
Clementine, Lisa Glatt and Suzanne Greenberg have created a fun and
feisty character. Abigail Iris has the perfect blend of pluck and
wonder." —Stacy Dillon, Booktopia
